These Boots Are Made For Walking
by Singing Violin
Summary: Chakotay and Janeway take a walk on shore leave.


Title: These Boots Are Made For Walking  
Series: Star Trek: Voyager  
Rating: K+  
Summary: Chakotay and Janeway take a walk on shore leave.  
Disclaimer: They're not mine.  
Archiving: Anywhere.  
Feedback: Please.  
Author's note: This one's for Heartwings (hoping she'll return the favor and publish her story), and is based on, as usual, real life experience. Yeah, I can be dumb sometimes.

The suns shone brightly, illuminating the landscape so that it gleamed, as if some joyful soul resided within it, aching to announce to the world how happy it was just to exist.

Captain Janeway sighed. "I've missed this," she admitted, gesturing with her right hand. Her left was hooked into her first officer's arm, and therefore unavailable. "Just having natural light is such a welcome change."

Chakotay smiled, his dimples matching the sparkles of the water as the zephyr-induced ripples refracted the aforementioned light. "I know what you mean," he answered. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

_Just like you,_ was the simultaneous unvoiced thought in both of their minds.

"It reminds me of Indiana in July," she observed. "Only wetter and sunnier."

He chuckled. "Earth has a one-sun disadvantage, I think."

The heat was making her sleepy, and she longed to sit and make camp, perhaps settling down for a midday nap amidst the reeds, her head on Chakotay's chest as he absent-mindedly stroked her hair. Alas, it would be a waste of the gorgeous weather and the opportunity for exercise somewhere other than the holodeck. The captain didn't exactly get shore leave every week.

They walked along in silence for a while, until he happened to glance upon her feet. He frowned, contemplating his words. Finally, he spoke. "Are you okay walking in those?" he asked worriedly.

She looked over at him, surprised that he would make such an observation. "I think it's okay," she answered. "I've walked in these before. Besides, orthopedic sneakers just don't go with this outfit."

Suddenly he grinned. "Am I to understand that the practical captain of _Voyager_ is vain enough to wear impractical footwear just to match an outfit?"

Again with her right hand, as her left was still attached to him, she slapped him playfully. "I am allowed to indulge in vanity once in a while. Consider it my only vice."

He raised an eyebrow. "That and coffee."

"Okay," she conceded, not wanting to admit that the main reason she wanted to look nice was for the benefit of her companion. "But the point is, I'll be fine."

"If you say so," he answered. "But if your feet start hurting, just say the word and I'll carry you the rest of the way."

She laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

Just then, a small creature dashed across the path, stopping less than a meter away from the ambling couple. All three creatures halted simultaneously, staring curiously at each other.

"Would you look at that," whispered Janeway. "It's so cute. I wonder if it wants some food."

Chakotay averted his eyes from the admittedly adorable animal to throw her a disapproving look. "It's feral," he pointed out. "And besides, what have we got other than rations?"

"Oh," she admitted. "I picked up some pastries at a little shop earlier. I'm sure we can afford to share."

Curiously, the creature exhibited no fear of the humans and remained still, perhaps believing them incapable of detecting it except when it was in motion. Slowly, Janeway opened her purse and broke off a small piece, then dropped it gently in front of her.

The creature scampered forward and grabbed the morsel, then ran away with it.

Janeway looked up at Chakotay and grinned. "How thrilling."

He snickered. "The formidable captain of _Voyager_, thrilled by the simple act of feeding a wild alien beast."

"Hey," she objected, "just because I run a starship doesn't mean I can't enjoy the simple things. A cute little creature like that doesn't pale in comparison to a nebula. I can appreciate them both."

_And that, my dear captain, is one of the things I love about you_, he thought to himself. Biting his tongue, he gestured with his left hand to suggest continuing their walk, and she readily obliged.

About two thirds of the way around the lake, Janeway began to notice a stinging sensation in her feet, but declined to mention anything, as her pride would not allow her to admit that Chakotay had been right about her choice of footwear. Instead, she soldiered on, saying less and less as the pain grew worse.

Finally, they returned to the town, and she was barely able to suppress a flinch as the soft dirt turned to cobblestone. She found herself leaning heavily on her companion, and he regarded her with concern. "Are you sure you're all right?"

She forced a smile. "I'm fine," she told him. "Just a bit tired. We've got to get back to the ship anyhow."

He nodded, and they trudged in silence the rest of the way. Disappointment settled over them like a warm blanket on a hot day as they realized this may be their last opportunity to idle together for quite some time. Neither dared admit to the other how much they had enjoyed the evening.

Once aboard the ship, he let go of her, but offered to walk her to her quarters. Nodding gratefully, she attempted not to visibly limp. After all, she still had her pride…more or less.

She didn't invite him in, but he came anyway. As she returned from her bathroom, the pain was too much and she flopped down onto the couch, never wanting to stand up again. She was beyond caring that he'd waited for her and could see her grimace as she raised her leg and contemplated extracting her feet from the constricting shoes.

"Here," he offered, "let me help you with those." She looked up, and knew instantly from his determined expression that he wasn't going to take no for an answer, so she watched as he knelt before her and gently took hold of her foot, hoping he at least wouldn't point out that he'd told her so.

As the shoe came off, the blisters on the bottom of her foot became apparent, and alarm crossed Chakotay's chiseled features.

"Kathryn," he remarked, "you've got to have the doctor look at these."

"No!" she replied emphatically, then lowered her voice as she continued. "It's really fine. I'd rather not be yelled at twice in one day," she added pointedly, hoping he would take the hint.

He frowned. "Let's get the other one off."

Resigned to her fate, she allowed him hold of her other foot, which, when unshod, revealed the same story, perhaps even worse than the first. It occurred to her that the bottoms of her feet were essentially water balloons, and she wondered what it would be like to pop them…

Apparently, Chakotay had the same idea, though his motive was not mischief. "Stay," he ordered, as if she would want to get up or escape. She thought she'd never move from the couch again.

He replicated a pin and a bucket and returned with her first aid kit.

"This is going to hurt a bit," he warned as he placed the bucket on the floor.

She narrowed her eyes. "I'll live."

Quickly, he raised her foot, and she attempted not to kick him in the face as he pricked each blister, one by one, allowing the clear fluid to drain into the bucket.

Matching clear fluid drained from her eyes as the sharp pain overwhelmed her.

"Hold on," he urged. "I'm almost done." He then ran a dermal regenerator over her soles, and she began to feel some semblance of relief. She sighed, not bothering to wipe the tears streaming down her cheeks.

When he was done, he did it for her, and caught in an uncharacteristic moment of weakness, she didn't resist as he took her into his arms and rubbed her back.

"You should feel better now," he suggested as he reluctantly pulled back.

"I'd like to take you up on your offer," she responded weakly.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"You said, if my feet started hurting, you'd carry me the rest of the way," she reminded him. "My feet are better, but they still hurt, so I was hoping you might oblige."

He grinned, and his dimples once again evoked the image of the sparkling lake. Carefully, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to bed.


End file.
